Specimen Certificate of Title for the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles. The Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has a rich history that dates back to the State Board of Public Roads, established in 1902. This board was tasked with standardizing the states fragmented roadway system. As automobiles gained popularity, the state implemented vehicle registrations and license plate displays in 1904. To manage these new responsibilities, the state established the Automobile Division in 1909, under the supervision of the public roads board. Rhode Island demonstrated its commitment to public safety by becoming the first state in the nation to require a written drivers exam in 1908. Over the following decades, the agency underwent several structural changes. In 1935, it evolved into the Division of Motor Vehicles and Registration under the Department of Taxation and Regulation. Later, in 1939, it transformed into the Registry of Motor Vehicles within the Executive Department. The modern framework of the agency emerged during the latter half of the twentieth century through continuous legislative restructuring. In 1970, the Registry was absorbed into the newly formed Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) to consolidate the states fragmented transit networks. It remained with RIDOT until 1994, when lawmakers transferred the Registry of Motor Vehicles to the Department of Administration. The final major administrative shift occurred in 2006 when the state legislature created the Rhode Island Department of Revenue. This new cabinet-level department officially designated the agency as the Division of Motor Vehicles. To modernize its operations and meet the growing public needs, the DMV closed its long-standing Pawtucket headquarters in 2010 and relocated to its current centralized, purpose-built facility in Cranston, Rhode Island. Item ordered may not be exact piece shown. All original and authentic.